French

Entries Tagged as 'French'

French Onion Soup [Revisited]

5.15.2013

Soup?! Really? But it’s SPRING. Soup season is over. Or so I thought. This past rainy and chilly Saturday sparked my desire for one last soup for the season. My stepfather and Ma had dropped off a 10 pound bag of onions from Shriners earlier in the week week. TEN pounds. Do you know how many onions that is for two people? A lot. I racked my brain trying to think of recipes that used more than 1 onion in it…stuffed onions with couscous and goat cheese? Or Pickled onions with beets and coriander? And then Wyatt suggested onion soup. Of course!

I’ve only made quick french onion soup but the rain challenged me to spend the afternoon in the kitchen caramelizing the onions. And don’t get me wrong – the quick method is delicious but it’s not even comparable to traditional french onion soup. This method leaves you with melt-in-your mouth, sweet slices of onion amaziness. I wish I had caramelized all ten pounds of onions to throw onto of everything (pizza, pasta, salads, …ice cream?).

Try this method of making french onion the next time you are stuck inside because of the weather or come home after a long day and need some serious cooking therapy.

French Onion Soup [Revisited]

7 cups sliced onions
3 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3 Tablespoons all purpose flour
4 springs of fresh thyme
8 cups vegetable broth (I used homemade)
1/2 cup white wine
fresh baguette, cut into 1 inch thick pieces
1 cup grated Swiss or gruyere (or a combination of the two)
Salt/Pepper, to taste

Melt the butter and oil over medium-low heat in a large saucepans. Add the sliced onion and toss until coated with butter / oil. Cover, lower heat to low, and let cook for 15 minutes untouched (go play with your puppy, eat some almond butter, read a magazine, etc).

Uncover, turn the heat back up to medium-low and add in the sugar and a dash of salt. Cook for about an hour and stir frequently. Cook until the onions have become a deep brown and are irrisistable sweet.

Add the flour and cook for a minute. Next, add in the wine, broth, and thyme springs. Cover and cook for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and use a spoon to scoop out the thyme stems.

Transfer soup into your desired amount of ovenproof soup bowls. Top each with a thick slice of baguette and grated cheese. Stick under the broiler until the cheese has melted and is just started to brown.

Enjoy!

Searchable Saturday

3.02.2013

1. Puppies on the mind. We are still on the hunt for an adorable french bulldog to be Tuko’s new playmate. We’ve been going to the animal shelter to look for lovable options but I’ve found it much harder [emotionally] to go there than before we had a dog. Perhaps now that we have the sort of connection with our own pup, it’s hard to see all those dogs not experiencing that loving connection and knowing that some of them never will. It’s just really sad. But it does make me feel good knowing that we could be helping one of those dogs one day soon.

2. There is this underground (literally- it’s in a cellar) hipster bar we go to sometimes (hipster? Don’t believe me – they have a drink called ‘The Pitchfork’). We were there on Thursday night for a friend’s show and I noticed a bunch of jars full of colorful concoctions in the fridge behind the bar. I asked the bartender about one of them and he said ‘Oh. That has ginger, orange, and gin in it. But it won’t be ready until the weekend.’ After that, I couldn’t help but start obsessing over the idea. How does the process work? What were they making? How long does it have to sit? Was it a fruit liqueur? An infused gin? I won’t know unless I go back this weekend (which…it sounds like I have to) but it started getting me thinking about fun infusions. I can feel a weekend project coming on…

3. DEEP DISH PIZZA! What more do I need to say? Growing up, I would spend the weekends taking the train into downtown Chicago with friends. We would go to concerts and eat obscene amounts of deep dish pizza. I find myself craving it from time to time but we don’t really have any deep dish pizza places down here. Best next thing? Guess I’m just going to have to start making my own!

4. So the haircut that has long been tempting me finally came last week. You think I would have got it out of my system but now I’m just obsessing with new hair ideas more than ever. I fear that once the newness of this haircut wares off, I will be left feeling like I have a super boring-plain trim. Quick! I better do something drastic – time to dye it! Should I go bright red using Lush’s organic henna dye or Aveda’s blue-black dye?! Should I do blonde dips or dye a chunk of my bangs blonde? Or do an all over honey blonde color?! So many options!

Well, I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend ahead of them! My weekend plans got put on hold because my car is in the shop. This means the next two days will probably consist of a lot of laying around the house (unless I feel like walking…in the snow…and cold). Sometimes it’s good to be stuck in one place – that is when the creativity has to set in. Right? Maybe? I don’t know.

Searchable Saturdays

2.16.2013

1. LEARNING /// I’ve been knee deep in researching home cleaners this week. It’s for an article I’m working on for Chickpea Magazine. I’ve always loved house plants but am now official convinced they are the answer to all my health problems [ exaggeration ]. More on this in the coming weeks…

2. LUSTING /// Our landlord finally [ kind of ] agreed to us getting a second dog. We love love love our boxer puppy but he definitely has a lot of energy and needs a playmate. I have my eyes set on a French Bulldog….

3. CRAVING /// Have you ever seen vegetables look so beautiful? I am blown away at the thought of how delicious this gorgeous stack of Lemon-Rosemary flavored veggies probably are. And lay them over some lentils? Oh goodness – irresistible.

4. ADVENTURING /// We are heading down south to Nashville, TN for the weekend. I am sooo excited about this over due trip because I spent several summers living there and cannot wait to go back after 2 years. Nashville has always brought me a sense of excitement and hope. I guess it’s a place that I spent a lot of time “finding myself” and really enjoy the comfort of knowing it’s always there if I ever need inspiration.

Well, I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! I’m off to do some exploring in warmer parts of the country!

Slow Cooker Honey Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

1.15.2013

If close up pictures of french fries doesn’t make you want to ditch your soup dinner plans and run out to the nearest diner then I do not know what does. Sorry that I just ruined your diet with this photo. Don’t worry, you can start again tomorrow.

I grew up a firm believer that ketchup was for eggs and barbecue sauce was for french fries. Although I’ve grown out of lathering ketchup all over my morning scramble, I still cannot resist a big side of tangy barbecue sauce to accompany my french fries and tofu nuggets (yes, I am guilty – I do enjoy those processed fake chicken nuggets that you can find in you organic freezer section at Kroger).

Although I am known to still down the occasional fry or chicken-less nuggets, I do try avoid the processed and high-fructose packed condiments that fill our grocery stores. Have your REALLY looked on the back of that condiment jar in a while? It’s a rather upsetting sight. Instead, I usually whip up a batch our this barbecue sauce and it usually holds me through all summer (and I participate in A LOT of grill outs every summer).

I decided to mix it up and try a new bbq sauce this time around. It’s definitely not the traditional bbq sauce you are used to (I’d suggest using this recipe if you are looking for that) but it’s a great sauce to use for special occasions. It’s a wonderful way to add new flavor to your condiments or to fancy up a side of fries at a party. The bourbon gives it the inevitable and sophisticated alcoholic aroma while the honey helps sweeten and tone it down.

I made this in my slow cooker so I could walk away and not worry about it. But it would probably be made just as easy in a saucepan by throwing in all your ingredients and letting it simmer down to your desired consistency (bet it wouldn’t take more than 30 minutes!).

Slow Cooker Honey Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
12 ounces of tomato sauce
1/3 cup bourbon
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
dash of hot sauce, optional
salt, to taste

Heat the olive oil over medium in a small skillet. Add onions and sauté until translucent (about five or so minutes). Add in the garlic and cook for another minute. Remove from heat.

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker and turn the slow cooker on low. Let cook for 8 hours. If the sauce is too thin after 8 hours, remove the lid and let cook down to desired consistency.

Use an immersion blender to blend into a smooth sauce or leave the small chunks of onions (they are delicious!).

Serve right away or transfer to an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. If you’d like to keep it longer, freeze it in ice cube trays for easy access to later.

Because Nobunny is both saucy and probably a bit alcoholic (yeah - not really sure what that means either):

Spiced Bread Pudding // Collaboration with Dishes Undressed

10.16.2012

Happy Tuesday! I’m here today with another collaboration with Angie from Dishes Undressed and this one is our dessert edition! I had her try out my vegan cobbler cake [which sure does look delicious!] and she had me tackle this mouth-watering bread pudding.

Okay, so let’s talk pudding. The REAL kind of pudding…not the stuff you get at the store that is in powder form and you add milk [or something to that nature] to make it come alive [do people still do that? I remember my Dad making us pistachio pudding a lot like this when I was a kid]. I’m talking about the traditional puddings which are created from recipes filled with generations of memories. I never grew up on those puddings and have sort of been making up for lost time. Earlier this month, I whipped up my first ever persimmon pudding and have enjoyed several batches of the stuff since. And now, here I am, trying out bread pudding for the first time. Who knows what’s next! Maybe I’ll try to conquer rice pudding [again, do people eat that stuff?]. Do you have a favorite pudding recipes? I think I might just have to go on a pudding kick to find mine!

So…my first experience with bread pudding. I was a bit unsure of what to expect but was smitten by the idea that the ingredients were so similar to my favorite breakfast food ever: french toast. I mean, anything that encourages eating french toast more than just before 10 AM is a keeper in my book. Anyhow, so the result was similar to baked french toast but soften. It was moist, spongy, and full of spices. The warm jam with the perfect sidekick to bring out the sweetness of the pudding. I adapted mine slightly from Angie’s recipe to accommodate what I had on hand.

PS- One last thing! I am a total instagram, bloglovin, and facebook addict [do you follow me on all these things??]. I am, however, totally clueless when it comes to Twitter but I’ve decided it’s time to make the plunge! That is right, VV is offically going to be on Twitter so please hop on over and…say Hi or whatever you do on Twitter. [Username: ShellyWester]

Spiced Bread Pudding

2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 vanilla bean
8 thick slices of stale bread
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
dash of cinnamon and nutmeg
fig jam, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and arrange the bread pieces on a small pan.

Slice the vanilla bean in half and scrap out all the seeds. Discard the pod and place seeds in a small saucepan with the milk and bring to a boil. Once boiling, immediately remove from heat and let cool.

In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and the sugar. Once the milk mixture is completely cooled (we don’t want the eggs scrambling now!), slowly add it into the egg mixture and stir until combined.

Pour over the bread pieces and let sit for ten minutes. Pop it into the oven and cook for 30 minutes or until the top is browned and crusty. Remove from oven and let cool.

In a small saucepan, warm the jam until it becomes runny. Swirl into the bread pudding and enjoy right away! Perhaps along side a big mug of chia tea or with a blanket on your hammock.

Stuffed French Toast

8.15.2012

We live on a traffic-crazed road so behind our house there is an alley system that we use to drive up to our house or ride our bikes downtown or to take little Tuko for walks. I bring this up because although I am totally over 90 degree weather and being constantly sticky, I will greatly miss the foliage that decorates our long alley system once summer comes to an end. It gives us shade from the sun when we are biking and it’s where I pick my wildflowers for our dining room table.

Last night I rode my bike down the alley to get to our local co-op. I went there to browse and pick out goodies for the ‘Foodie Penpal’ (more on this in future posts) group I joined this month. Basically, you are assigned one person who you send up to 15 dollars worth of goodies to and then someone else sends you things and you get a new person each month. I love this idea but it kind of makes me wish I had a real pen pal (one whom you contact more than just once) that I could send a box full of local goodies and spices to and say ‘hey. make this!’ and then we can text each other pictures of the recipe and geek out over food. You know…the kind of friend you never meet (because they live in Portland or Vermont) but you feel a silly connection with them anyways? Woah, this is quite the scenario I’ve come up with…perhaps I have been seriously listening to wayyy too many ‘Joy the Baker’ podcasts lately.

Anyhow, to do another 360 (is this already the 3rd time I’ve changed the subject?) Wyatt has been on a serious health kick lately (let me remind you this is the guy who use to need pizza and gravy in his life at least once a week). I am 100% behind him on this because I prefer to eat as healthy and organic as possible but sometimes a girl just needs to eat what she wants.

My craving for french toast started last Friday when I picked up some Michigan maple syrup and a fresh baguette for Saturday’s breakfast. However, Saturday morning came and we had to clean our house in anticipation for Wyatt’s parents coming and no french toast was made. And then his parent’s stayed until Sunday and bought us some delicious local muffins on Sunday morning (which meant no french toast- AGAIN). So as I was sitting at my desk on Monday morning, I decided I NEEDED to make this french toast for lunch (I mean…in addition to my constant craving, the baguette was probably going to go bad if I waited any longer!) However, when I got home I was met with a very annoying ‘I don’t think I want that much sugar for lunch. I don’t want any- thanks’ response from Wyatt which made me feel guilty so I made us veggie sandwiches instead. Defeated, I decided that I would go to yoga on Monday night and if I still was craving it after (I usually only want huge salads after feeling amazing cleansed from yoga), I would make it regardless of any response from my sugar-hating boyfriend. And alas, yoga made me feel great but so great that all I wanted to do was continue to please myself. I ran home, didn’t say a word to Wyatt, and created these little puppies.

Woah, this has been a rant of a post sort of day!

Stuffed French Toast (or French Toastie Sandwiches?)

1 stale baguette, sliced
4 ounces of cream cheese
1 pint fresh raspberries (or blueberries or blackberries or strawberries)
4 eggs
1/4 cup milk (soy or regular)
dash of cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
butter or oil (to coat the pan)

Spread cream cheese on one side of half of the sliced baguettes. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla.

Melt a tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium. Dunk the non-cream cheese side of the baguettes in the egg mixture and put on preheated skillet. Dunk all of the plain baguettes in the mixture and place in the skillet (you will probably have to do this in rounds because you don’t want to crowd the pan! Just make sure you have an even number of cream cheese to non-cream cheese slices). Cook for 2-3 minutes (or until browned and flip the non-cream cheese slices on top of the others to make a sandwich (and so the cooked side is inside the sandwich). Flip all the “sandwiches” and cook on the other side for 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan and repeat with the rest of the baguette.

Lather in fresh butter, raspberries, and drizzle maple syrup. Enjoy with a Bloody Mary or Mimosas!

Searchable Saturdays

8.11.2012

A picture from our organic farm that we pick our CSA box up at

1. I have an array of adorable teacups from my great-grandmother and have been trying to figure out how to display them. Perhaps I should try this DIY?

2. If you are a locavore like me then you are constantly wondering where your food is coming from. Have you checked out this website that can track where your milk came from? So rad! Orrrr…if you want to know that your milk came directly from your home then you can whip up my DIY Soy Milk (just sayin’)

3. Coconut Bacon?? I am intrigued.

4. My work desk is sloppy, sloppy, sloppy. I’ve thought about getting a plant to brighten it up but my desk is no where near a window. Maybe I’ll make this cute little paper oven to decorate!

5. I cannot stop obsessing about how bad I want fall to be here. I’ve been fantasizing about Pumpkin Cookies and Nutella Hot Chocolate.

6. Lately I’ve been drawing recipe (and photography) inspiration from Vintage Cakes and Pure Vegan

Okay! Well I’m off to clean the house and reward my cleaning with some baked French toast! Mmmm